


our books are closed, and our stories told

by rektedBeck (wildFandom)



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Death to the Mechanisms Spoilers, Gen, Story Detection, Story Dowsing Rods, kinda I guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23884291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildFandom/pseuds/rektedBeck
Summary: What if there was another reason why Doc Carmilla started the Mechanisms?(A look into a world where the Mechanisms are Story Dowsing Rods, featuring their ends as well.)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49
Collections: Stowaways' Shenanigans





	our books are closed, and our stories told

**Author's Note:**

> _Story Detected: Security Alerted_
> 
> Title is from the Death to the Mechanisms version of Laid In Blood.

When Doc Carmilla first started her experiments on unsuspecting mortals, she began with the intention of not only making immortal bandmates to play with, but talented trackers of tales that needed to be told. Why wait for shoddy second-hand slivers to reach you, when you can set your own hounds on the scent. And so, with every new Mechanism that was crafted, a new way to hunt was born.

Nastya, with her mercurial blood and Cyberian ways, becomes in-tune with the mechanical world around her, with pure data flowing through her veins. Spirits captured in machinery murmurer to her as she works, spilling secrets sown within their code. 

_Floating there in the vast depths of space, clutching the last true piece of the Aurora, she can almost hear her lover whisper one last bedtime story to her, before she sleeps._

Jonny, in his heart of hearts, instinctively knows when and where drama and conflict will occur. With every step he takes towards it, his heart races faster and faster. It is only then, in the fray of blood and tears, does his heart beat steady, to the sounds of war and battle. 

_After centuries of rapid machine gun fire in his chest, his heart finally slows to a gentle rhythm when it is stabbed through and through, keeping time right until his final breath._

Ashes, with every breath of smoke and steam they take, senses when the winds of change begin to blow. It guides them to places like the Acheron, where they can breathe life into potential tales. 

_The air is stagnant at the end of time, but they refuse to choke on the stillness. Casting the last flame down into gasoline, they spark the largest firestorm in all of existence, sweeping in the end for all._

Raphaella, flying with wings of her own creation, finds herself lit aglow in the presence of a tale. Each twinkling light has a value only she could understand, with different colors and patterns for every new variable. 

_When no new light can be shined upon her work, she takes her final flight into a black hole. Flashing lights are all that could be seen of her before being lost to space beyond._

Tim, with his steely gaze, finds himself drawn to look at objects and people that are significant for a story. He is unable to turn his gaze away until he finds the part they’ll play. Whether it is by his hand or theirs, is another tale to be told.

_It is ironic, that in the end, Tim did not see his own story come to a close. Regardless of that, Bertie will be the first thing he sees when he reaches the other side._

Ivy, deep within the archive that is her mind, picks events straight from collected code and data, calculating the chances and possibilities that will occur. Even in her sleep, she replays the stories that she has witnessed, wading through words no longer bound to her brain.

_She could appreciate how it bookends her beginning, as she falls to the ground, surrounded by books she tried to save._

Marius, who arrived already armed, is literally pointed into the right direction of a good story. Not the most inconspicuous form of detection, but there are moments where it proves itself useful, such as in the selection of heroes for the Trials.

_In a fit of boredom, he reaches for the door where the octokittens are held. There was no reason for him to be there, but at least he is proven correct._

Brian, made from metal, minus his heart, moves like a man possessed towards areas filled with possibilities, unaware of the world around him until he arrives at his destination. It is lonely though, being trapped in a body that is not yours, with words rising from within you that you never thought of before. 

_The cosmos calls to him once more, a magnetizing force that he can not resist. At least it will be gentler, this time._

The Toy Soldier, well, it is a story, so it’s no help in the hunt at all. Its presence alone can result in faulty detection by the crew, which is why it is jettisoned from the airlocks so often. 

_Like all stories, when its friends are gone and its tales are told, the Toy Soldier reaches its end._

**Author's Note:**

> If this seems familiar, it's because most of it is from a post I made on Tumblr: <https://wildfandom.tumblr.com/post/612273234668339200/what-if-the-mechanisms-are-story-dowsing-rods>


End file.
